Firework
by shanaynay11
Summary: "What are you doing!"I screamed.  "What's right!"she yelled back.  But how was this right? No one would understand. Only us. People would hate us both for it.  "How?"  She just gave me a look and shrugged, then smiled."I'll know when I get there."
1. Before the Rumble

It had been a year after the last rumble. It had also been a year after deaths of Jonny and Dallas were still fresh in my m ind adn every day I thought what if I hadn't decided to go to the movies that night? All this could be traced back to that, because I went to the movies, Dally tried to pick up Cherry, we walked Cherry home, the socs got mad, theyh jumped me and Jonny and Jonny had killed one. I had turned 15. But Darry still went harsh on me. Well, not really harsh, but his rules stuck, and he enforced them greater. Still be back before midnight, no staying out late school night, all that stuff, even though school was still hard for me, and that theme My teacher had me write gave me an A instead of a C, which was great for me and Darry, because Darry knew how much I needed a good grade, and how muh bad grades hurt my chances at college. Steve had gotten thrown in the slammer, public disturbance, being a JD again, and if you wanna hear something funny, steve was complaining about the clothes they gave him and having to do his buissness in front of his cellmates. He really got torn up about that, and it irritated me to know he cared more about that stuff than how his friends were doing, but Steve couldn't be counted as my friend, so I let it go. Cherry Valance never talked to me at all after Jonny died, and I even think she moved on to another soc, but that was only talk from the school, not hard fact that she never talked to me. "Hey Pony, you gonna be able to listen at this rumble, huh?"Two-Bit asked me from the couch with a ciggarette hanging out of his mouth. "Shoot, what do you mean, I listened before!" "No you didn't, you took on five guys at a time. Not saying that don't show a sighn of bravery right there, but stil, you ought to have known better." "I did only take on one guy, the smallest I could get my hands on too, but then they all ganged up on me, so don't fly off on me." Just then Darry walked in with a cake in his hand."He ain't going to listen at this rumble cus he isn't going to be there." "Hey man, you said we didn't have no more of that cake! I went hungry all day for that cake!" 'I hid it." "And besides,"Two-Bit said taking a draw off of his ciggarette."Why aren't you going to let him come to this rumble? No one gets hurt in rumbles anymore."He chuckled."Remember that night Dally made the nurse let him come out of the hospital and ran right straight to the lot to be in the rumble?" 'Aw shut up Two-Bit, you aren't helping nothing."I muttered to him. That was when my brother opened his mouth. Soda was going to say something wise, I knew it."Yeah, why don't ya shut up about it Two-Bit? You don't think we remember? You remember Guys?"he went on not waiting for an answer."Besides, I don't like you telling Darry how to handle Ponyboy. Ponyboy ain't the same anyways, and Darry ought to know that, but I don't like him going to no rumbles, and people do still get hurt in rumbles, you just been in the no weapons rumbles, like a sissy, and backed out of the weapons ones. Just mind your own buissness!"Soda fumed. I think it was safe to say everyone was thinking of the same thing;What's gotten into him? Soda had been grumpy these past few weeks, And I didn't know if it was becaused of the rumble or something it might have been Sandy. Soda had never snapped really before these weeks and when he did(if he did)that's what this really was, Sandy. She had gotten pregnant by someone who wasn't Soda and he took everything like a man. But she litterally broke his heart whenever she sent back the letter Soda sent to her one day, just asking how she had been, how she was doing, mentioning how things were around here.I remember him sitting up at nights days at a time crying because Sandy didn't even open the letter at all. He had worried me to where I thought he would try to kill himself, but when I asked him, he said he would never do that to me and Darry, and I beleived him. "Hey now Soda, you better go to your room, we don't need no more fighting going on without the rumble." Soda didn't object, but stomped off. Two-Bit didn't say anything while Soda was screaming at him, but now he did."I-Darry, I didn't mean it like that, or anything about Dally either, I swear."Two-Bit honestly looked sorry, not the same joking self he had been a couple seconds ago. Darry just shook his head."No I know it Two-Bit. I'm worried 'bout him. He ain't been the same since Sandy."No body else had to say anything, we all knew. Darry looked at me."And I'm serious, I better not catch you doing something stupid." I nodded, since I knew better than to not listen to Darry, or at least, not tell him fact about me not getting into this rumble didn't bother me. I mean, not that part. The part that did bother me was that they didn't beleive me when I said I had listened and would listen this time. I would show them. Two-Bit put his ciggarette out. "Ponyboy, we ought to fix your hair, it's grown back and looks like crap, the blonde is on the end and the tops are black again. We'll go cut it tommorrow."Darry said."Before the rumble."he added."I wanna be there when they do it and I ain't missing the rumble." "Okay. Hey, Imma go check on Soda and go to bed. I'm tired."Darry nodded cautiously and i walked quietly up to our shared room. I barley opened the door and heard Soda crying. That was somethin i didn't see much never had much to cry about. I saw he was looking at and then it made since. It was the letter he had written to Sandy, but he still hadn't opened it. "Sodapop?"I whispered softly. He jerked his face to look up at me, his eyes were red."Pony, I'm sorry I flew off my handle like that, it's just Sandy has me worried sick. I called her mom and her mom said the baby isn't going to be too good. I just wish I could have saw it." Sodapop never gave a toot about himself, always about made me mad at times. "Listen Soda,"I was quiet."You need to stop taking her favor! She cheated on you. You should be mad at her, not worried about if this would hurt her." "I know that Pony, but I love sandy, still, and I just want her safe. But I guess she ain't the one for me, even though I can't tell you how much I wish she was." You couldn't not be sorry for him. He honestly hadn't done anything for her to mistreat him. "Yeah, I know Soda. You think your ever going to find the girl?" "Gee buddy, I sure hope so."he threw the letter across the room. "Do you think I will find the right girl?" "Pony, don't bother with girls, until you are positive you love them and they love you too, okay? Promise?" "Yeah, I wasn't going to anyway,just asking." ", you coming to bed or not?" "Yeah."I changed clothes and hopped under the blankets. "Goodnight Soda. And I know you didn't mean nothing when you started yelling." "Goodnight Pony. And I'm glad you know that." It didn't take long for me to fall asleep after that, and my dreams were of my family. 


	2. After the Rumble

When I woke up, it was by Two-Bit and Soda jumping and shaking me. "Come on, get off me!"I tried pushing them off but it didn't work. "You heard him, get off, he ain't the one you gotta wake up cuz he isn't going to the rumble."Darryinformed them. "Sorry darry."Sodapop and Two-Bit jumped off. "Ponyboy, we're going to go get your hair cut in 30 minutes. Better be ready." "Darry, I don't feel too good. Can we wait to get it done?" he walked over to me and felt my forehead.I didn't really feel bad, I needed some time before the rumble. If I was going to go through with my plan, I would need time. "You don't feel bad. Anyway, yeah ponyboy, we can wait as long as you want.I made some eggs. Help yourself, for now you can go back to sleep. Well, we're going to go now then I guess. See you around."With that, they were gone. And as soon as I heard the screen door slam, I hoped up and inforced my plan. I hadn't caught where the Rumble was supposed to be, although I assumed it was in the lot, I had to know if I was going to sneak in there.I threw some pants on and was gone out the dorr, following from a safe distance from the howling boys. Of coarse, they went straight for the lot. Well that was great, I had a hole hour to myself. I dcided to take a nap until the rumble started. I knew it had started whenever there were shouts. So I lied down behind a tree and decided to go to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When I woke up, I heard them explaining the rules. There were no weapons, something none of us knew. No one had brought a weapon, but we weren't going to use them anyways, even if we could have. I stood up and saw a flash of a white hand and realized the rumble started. I snuck aloing the outside of the circles of I saw another guy, running and flitting about in the lot, which had more space than we were using. The guy was wearing jeans, not new, but no holes in them, a black shirt, and a ball cap on his head, along with sunglasses. I ran over to him and raised my fist, about to take aim. "hey, I ain't fighting you."Was all he said before he jumped on a Socs back. I didn't know him, and no one else looked like they did either, but the socs didn't care. One knocked him to the ground while I was fighting beside him, with a kid, looked about 11 or 12. And when that Greasers had flew off, the truth flew out. That wasn't no guy, that was a girl with her hair up in the Soc stopped mid aim. That was when I realized, this girl wasn't even a girl, this girl, was a greaser. She tore the sunglasses off and threw them away from her, revealing blue eyes. She right hooked the Soc right in the jaw and he flew backwards. "What are you doing here?" "What are you doing here?"she asked and turned, punching, kicking, flipping through the corwod, and no soc hit her because of the fact that she was a girl. I actually think that's why we won that night. Anyways, the socs ran, and I had only tangoed with one. Afterwards, darry hit me across the head, not like that night he had and I ran away, this was just a smack. "What did I tell you kid, to not come to this rumble!" "I wasn't going to, I just came to watch, but then I got closer when I saw that girl, i still wasn't going to fight, but that soc knocked me hard on the ground."I looked at the mystery girl and prayed she didn't say anything. It was only us there, Tim Shepard and his gang left, leaving me, Darry, Two-Bit, Sodapop, and the mystery girl there. "Yeah, who are you anyways and what you doing picking fights with socs?" "Yeah? Well I'll pick a fight with you if you don't stop calling me a girl." Sodapop had been smirking at her the hole time."Fine. Hey, anybody got a smoke on them?" She pulled out a cigarrette from her pocket before any of us moved. We just stood there arms folded over, waiting for Soda to take it. When he did, I smiled at her smile. "And by the way, My name is Shalyn."She flipped her hair as she turned and began to walk away. "Hey,"I yelled after her."Don't you wanna know ours?" She turned and smiled."Sorry, Ididn't mean to sound rude. I just was trying to get home before my grandmother goes crazy. But she can wait I guess." "Darry, can she come to our place?" Darry shook his head."Too messy." "Shoot, you ain't seen my room then."she smiled. I knew that Darry liked her, because he said she could stay without anything else. Two bit liked her because he was being quiet, but Soda...I knew he was having a hard time with this, because he was being quiet too, usually he would have been yaping, and, to be honest, I liked her was beautiful, brown, blackish hair past her shoulders. You coudn't not like her. When we got there, I expected her to come out of a stupor or something and realize she wasn't on her way didn't even flinch when she saw the dirty yard, and just laughed when they started yowling. When we were inside, she asked,"Can I sit down,I'm pretty tired." "Oh yeah, make yourself at home."Soda said smiling from the couch. "thanks."she said and took a seat beside him."What's your name?" "Sodapop Curtis, but you can call me Soda though." "Neah, I think I'll stick with sodapop." "But it's easier to just say soda." "But Sodapop is your real name. It's unique too, so I will stick with Sodapop if that's okay with you Sodapop."she smiled."What, what about them? Are they your brothers? What are they like? What's their names?" "Well,"Soda said looking at me and flicking the T.V to Mickey Mouse."That's Ponyboy there. He's the one that saved those kids from a fire at the church down in Windrixville on Jay Hill. I got another brother named darry, he's the one eating in there. The other one is Two-Bit. He's usualy a crack up, but I think you scared him."Sodapop laughed and Shalyn laughed also. "Does he get annoying talking so much?" "You better beleive it." "Then I think I did you a favor." "Maybe."Soda stretched out. "You got a nice house."she remarked after a minute. "Hey, I don't need no girl talking about my house, I like it the way it is and if you don't you can just leave." "Sodapop!" "Hey, i wasn't being sarcastic, at least you don't live in no trailer park!" "I'm ' know,you dig pretty good, you know?" "Most people call me white trash." "Shoot girl, just , we all get that. You don't let it get to you, okay?" "Never know, I would walk home, but I think I'd pass out on my way. Look, I hate to ask you this, but is there anyway You'd let me stay here for tonight?" Soda scratched his neck."Sure, you mind sleeping on the floor though?" "No, I'm used to it."she sighed and stood up."Will you show me where at?" Sodapop nodded and she grabbed his hand, pulling him off the couch. I almost died of jelousy, but then felt ashamed. Soda deserved some girl to like him, and you could tell she liked him more than anyone else, and the think was, I couldn't even blame her. Soda was charming, especially with his own baseball cap on his head. I lied down where Soda had been sitting, and soon, I was out of it, not even dreaming, I think I passed out. 


	3. Different

She pulled me up off the couch and she followed me into my bedroom. "I'm, er, sorry, we don't have huge blankets."I fumbled around in the closet until I found the biggest blanket i could. "This is fine."she took the blanket without hesitation and folded it on the ground."You know, your little brother is kinda cute."she chuckled, still fixing her bed. "Yeah, he sure is." She looked up at me."He looks like you you know." "Everybody says that, but Ponyboy thinks I'm more of a looker, but he don't fool me."she stood up and flipped her hair."Maybe he's ,"she said, changing the subject when I didn't reply right away. I didn't know what to say. I could tell she was flirting with me. But did I honestly want her too?"Don't worry if I start shaking in the middle of the night, I'm having a nightmare, i've had the same one all week, about my dad." I didn't ask her anything, just nodded."You want me to stay in here with you while you fall asleep, or are you okay?" She hesitated."Stay, if you don't care. New places, kind of..I don't know."she lied down in her bed she had made poofy."So sodapop, tell me a little more about your brothers. POnyboy especially. He seems quiet." I laughed in spite of myself. If Ponyboy was anything, It wasn't quiet."He isn't. And Ponyboy is sensitive. He'd never make it working at a gas statiopn like I do, He just don't dig that stuff. He digs sunsets, colors in the 'd never find a nice enough kid like that." She sghed,"Mmmmhmm."and then she diped into her pillow and fell asleep. I stood there for a second, not really knowing if I should leave her or not. She had been different than most other girls. Most of them were snobs. Not her. And she actually listened to me when I talked, unlike..I couldn't think of her name. I decided to crawl into my bed. ~~~~~~ By the time I woke up, I laughed realizing I pulled Shalyn into bed with me and Ponyboy, giving in to the trembling in the night. 


	4. I won't Say I'm in Love

The next couple weeks were Shalyn filled. She came over every day and hung out with Ponyboy. I was jelous, to be honest. I liked Shalyn. And it killed me. She was pretty, she was intelligent...too intelligent. She reminded me of Sandy. But Shalyn almost completely erased her. I didn't know how you fell in-liked someone so quickly.I had met her at a rumble, as a guy...that didn't sound right, but it was. I could tell about everyone in the Curtis house liked Shalyn. she was a guy at times, and you could forget the way she actually was a girl. She played chicken with Two-Bit, after Two-Bit getting it out of him he would get her one day from those games, she had smoke ring contests, everything greasers liked in girls I supposed. But out of all of the guys in our house, Pony liked her the most. He had told me that, even though I'd warned him not to get involved with women, which Shalyn barley was one, so I couldn't really get mad at him for it. Steve randal had gotten out of the jail, and once he met Shalyn, he had said he must haave died in jail and went to needed to get their heads out of their butts with love because it wasn't love, it was head over heals drop dead gorgeosness that made people like her. "Sodapop, when you going to tell her you love her?"Pony had asked me on e night. "I don't love her." "Aww sodapop, you can tell me the truth." "I said I don't like her okay?"I turned and looked over at Pony's watery eyes. "I'm sorry-" "Whatever Soda, you need to get a life so you can stop yelling at people everytime they do something you don't like!"Ponyboy sat up in the bed."Because that's what you do, that's what you've done ever since a year ago when Johnny and Dally died, you've sat around the house and moped, crying over things that don't matter, like the house being dirty. Anything sets you off anymore sodapop and that ain't my brother!" I was swept away by Pony's words. They were the truth, which only made it harder to stay planted."Ponyboy, I really don't mean to do that. I know I do, and that's why I cry at night because I can't control it, anything sets me off and I feel more and more like Darry everyday the way he used to always yell at you except this is worse because I yell at everyone."I had started crying, and I hurried and wiped the tear away. I didn't like to make him anymore upset than I had to. Just then the door cracked and I heard Shalyn's voice."Can I come in?" I looked at Ponyboy and he shrugged."Sure."I whispered, not really trusting my voice. "I can hear you all arguing...and what it's about. The first thing I heard was "I don't like her okay?"I don't want you all to argue over me.I hate one thing more than sardines."she chuckled."Siblings fighting.I never understood it whenever my dad tried to exp;ain it to me, but now I do. brothers are all you have left in the world, they are more your age and you'll have them longer than anyone else. Don't fight."she pleaded, and me and Pony nodded. She stood up and turned to the door, before turning her head to face us."And Sodapop?"she grinned slyly."Better whatch what you say, because somepeople, just might be listening and not like what they hear."she whipped her hair around and walked off to tghe room she was occupying. "Did...she just say what I think she just said?" Ponyboy nodded."Sounds like she is in opposition to you not loving her." And that was when, I did. I did admit;I loved her. 


	5. I need help here!

"You really think she likes me?"Sodapop smiled and ran a hand through his hair. I rolled my eyes. "No?" "YES!" "I never thought she did anyways."he shrugged casually. "No, not yes no, yes, as in yes I think she does."I said easily. "I done told you Pone, I can't keep up with you when you mumble like that!"Soda poked me in the cheek. That was his thing. If anyone's face was turned to the side and they weren't paying attention to him, he would be right there poking them. To be honest, it annoyed me. And to add, it hurt too. "Leave me alone with this! Go talk to her about it."I mumbled. I was mad. I liked her. Soda knew it. But since she didn't, all hope with her vanished. "Cool it kid, it ain't like we're goin' to get married. Or, you know, anything like that..."Sodapop smiled. "Never said you were, and I sure hope you've learned your lesson from with Sandy. Remember when you thuoght the kid was yours? Shoulda seen how shocked Darry had been that day after he heard about it. It took a minute to click."I laughed, remembering that day, not because Soda's heart got ripped out, but because I could totally see Soda doing something like that, beleive it or not, and Darry couldn't. "Oh, I did see it and got crap for it too."He laughed, and I think that was the first time I'd heard him talking about that day without it being to complain. "When's sleeping beauty supposed to get here anyways?"I asked, not even realizing what I'd said. "So you do still like her then! Pony's in love, Pony's in love!"He sang, dashing around me in a frilly way. "Not as much as the Soda man." Just then, Shalyn opened the door and smiled."I'm here, no need to applaud." Me and Soda knew that when someone said something and was joking, you had to do the opposite of it just to get on there nerves. "So,"she threw her coat off to reveal a plain old blue T-Shirt."What's todays plans, Pepsi-Cola?"she asked. Me and soda both froze. "H-How do you know about that?"Soda asked stuttering. "About...what?" I looked at Soda and Soda looked at me and then we both looked back at Shalyn. "That was my dad's old nickname for him."I explained in a small voice. "Oh...I'm sorry, I won't call you that no more." "It's fine. And I don't know. You could come to work with me maybe. I could use some extra hands. Since your used to your dad working with cars." She helped herself to a seat."Sure,"she said casually."Maybe I can meet these girls that come by to flirt with you, so Steve says." "He needs to shut up."I heard Sodapop mutter under his breathe. She laughed."No worries. I'm not mad, or jelous...yet."I saw her mouth the last word to me, winked, and put one finger over her mouth. "So, you going to eat anything?" "I'll just buy something there I guess."Shalyn said and pulled him up."Better not be late!"she said and ran out the door. Soda smiled with a dumbfounded expression on his face."Runs like you-" "Jokes like Two-Bit-" "And cusses like a sailor!"Two-Bit joined in, not paying attention,knocking Soda's coffee all over him. "You wanna hear a sailor cussin'? 'Cause your bout to get one! Now I gotta go change shirts!"Soda stood up. Two-Bit just shrugged and continued."I ran into her and she told me where to go, how to do it, and what to do when I got there."Two-Bit laughed."Not taking a breathe in between swears." Shalyn entered again, noticing Soda wasn't in sight."Where's Mr. movie-star at?"she asked, grinning at me. I didn't want to start this again. "In his room changing shirts 'Cause Two-but here decided to spill coffe all over his clean shirt, and proably the only one he has that ain't at the DX or clean." She laughed good heartedly and turned for his room. "Might not wanna go in there."I suggested. She grinned beautifully at me and said eavily,"What is there to see?"Sha asked, but I knew she would have easily answered the question herself. Two-Bit looked at me and I shrugged."Looks like Sleeping Beauty's in love." with the wrong guy I couldn't help but think. "Maybe she is. But if this means Soda's got a chance with a real girl, not some brat like Sandy, I don't even care. That kids went through a lot." "Yep."was all I said and headed for the refridgerator. "Will you grab me some cake?"Two-Bit asked me. "Nope. All mine."I said and laughed, sitting down watching Mickey Mouse. 


	6. So Much for my Happy Ending

I woke up in my bed, burning up. The comfortors that I use every night have suddenly been getting hotter, and very not comfortable. I felt like I was being smothered by...by...I don't know, I just woke up. I blinked when I realized my surroundings. It wasn't my farmiliar flower paper walls that usually surrounded me whenever I woke up, but instead it was a white room. I sat upright in my bed, and realized it was still a little dark outside, probably 5:30. I threw my skinny legs over the edge, and realized I needed to shave. My night dress I had slept in fell down over my legs and down to my ankles. You know how it is, just waking up, in a place that you aren't verry used to? Well that's what it was like. I should have been used to this place, but I had only spent the night here a couploe of times. After a minute, I knew where I was. I walked over the hard floor, making it squeak, walking over to an envelope that was tossed to the corner of the floor. I picked it up, and it had been opened. "Curiosity doesn't hurt, right?"I whispered to myself. 'Yes it does, curiosity kills the cat,'a voice whispered in my ear. "Then the damn cat shouldn't get caught!"I whispered back and opened the envelope. On the front was adressed to a Sandy something, I couldn't read it. It said a bunch of stuff how 'I miss you,' 'wish you were here,' 'thing's are O.K here' 'are you okay?' 'I still miss you' and other things that sounded gushey. But the ending was what really got me. 'Love(hopefully)Sodapop Curtis.' I heard someone coming up the stairs, so I threw the letter back in the envelope and tossed in on the ground. I dashed back to the bed and sat down, just in time to see Soda's head stick in the door. He rubbed his eyes, and I was thankful for the darkness of the room, because my face was hot with embarrassment and jelousy for the girl named Sandy. He rubbed his eyes and groaned."Are you okay hun'?" I grinned, but wanted to slap myself silly, because I knew it was just Soda being Soda. "I'm fine."I whispered quietly, not trusting my voice. How did I even end up here in the first place? He stopped fiddling with his finger and rubbing his eyes. He looked focused. I didn't take my eyes from him, but I knew with me looking all goo goo at him, he would leave, and I didn't know weather I wanted that or not. Before I knew it, he was beside me and had his arms around me. "Did you have a nightmare?"He asked me softly. I shook my head. Why did I wake up in the first place again? Oh yeah, I was burning up! "No, I was just hot."I ran a hand through my hair (a habit I had picked up from them) and it was soaked. He raised an eyebrow and after a second he smiled."Was hot?" I blinked at his attempt to flirt. It was obvious. "No, and I'll just leave."I went to stood up but wavered and he raised his arms to steady me. "What are you even talking about, you can't walk a foot without falling, let alone all the way home. No, either I am taking you home or you're going ot have to stay here. And I'd perfer yuo'd stay."He looked at me and his eyes flashed, and mine did too. No...no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! He was leaning into me and I pulled back. I knew I was falling for him. I didn't want to be. I hated the thought of falling for a greaser. He was cute...hot...maybe more an extra level and even sexy. But likeing one? Not flirting, liking and flirting are totally different. "Oh...sorry,"he appologized with a goofy grin. A tear ran down my cheek. What was into me? I didn't like him! Why did I get upset about that letter? Maybe I did like him...but...then why didn't I let him kiss me? How? When? Where?What time is it? I started panicking and hyperventilating. In and out, in and out. I kept telling myself this. He sat up straight in alarm."What's wrong?" I shook my head. I was never this...emotional? Was that the word? I was 14 though! He was...I still never figured that out. His eyes widened. I knew I liked him, after a few minutes of thinking about it. I was jelous of that Sandy girl. I had fantasized about this Greaser. I had expected us to go out. (So maybe that's not the right word..but, maybe...I dunno...like...something, you understand, when you like someone, but like, no one ever officially asks anyone out? Yeah, that's it.)WHY THOUGH? I knew I was a Soc! When I read that letter, it was like...Why am I thinking of this? I can't stand this! Even after my Pepsi-Cola (which I still secretly called him) left the room, I couldn't help but think about that letter, and everytime I thought : So much for my happy ending. 


End file.
